There's Always Tomorrow
by meredithe
Summary: Rachel's world shattered to pieces the day Finn broke up with her in the hallway. She thought her life was over... but she was wrong. This is the story of a girl that learns there's more to life than boys and singing on Broadway. It's about her moving on from her first love, making new friendships, and maybe finding true happieness with the boy she's always known.
1. Breakups and Moving On

**There's Always Tomorrow**

By: Meredith Richardson

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters that Ryan Murphy came up with.

Summary: Rachel thought her life was over the day Finn broke up with her in the school hallway… she was wrong. This is the story of a girl that learns there's more to life than boys and singing on Broadway.

Pairing: Rachel centric at the beginning, but it will eventually become Puckleberry with Samchel friendship.

Time Line: Takes place right after Glee S2E9 (Special Education) things will go a little AU from there

AN: This is the second story I've ever written so please let me know what you think. It's a little rough around the edges but I started rewatching Glee this summer, waiting like everyone for Glee Season 4 (woot) and I had to share.

AN2: I'm reposting this story to freshen it up a bit with the help of my beta BurningCrashingRaining. Thank you so much for all of your hard work! I really appreciate it . When I first started writing this story my mom had just gone into the hospital for hip surgery. I needed something to do so I started writing, and it blossomed from there. I hope you guys enjoy!

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Chapter 1: Breakups and Moving on

The day that Finn broke up with Rachel was one of the hardest days of her young life. When they'd agreed to never lie to each other, she'd told him the truth about Puck. She thought he'd be a little upset but they'd move on together, and become a stronger couple. But she was wrong - she'd never seen him so upset in her life… how could she profess to love him and break his heart in the worst way? She wanted to scream after him, but she was frozen in place unable to do anything but watch his tall form weave through the sea of students, away from her. She was shocked and heartbroken, unable to comprehend what had just happened. How could Finn just give up on their relationship like that? They'd dealt with so much over the last year. Quinn's pregnancy and lies surrounding it, Jesse, and even her long lost mother. Why couldn't he forgive her for kissing Puck when he'd done something so much worse? He'd looked at her with complete and utter betrayal but he'd betrayed her first. He lied to her, said that he was a virgin like her. So what if they hadn't been together when it happened! He knew how important it was to her that their first times be with each other.

She could have forgiven his transgression if he'd told her the truth. To have to hear it from Santana, the girl who made her life miserable, and in front of everyone in glee was just humiliating. She'd heard them laughing at her in the background. After everything they'd all been through together she thought that she'd finally made some true friends. It seemed like everyone was always keeping secrets from her or talking about her behind her back. No one, not even her boyfriend would stand up for her. She couldn't even go talk to her best friend Kurt because he'd transferred schools and was now her ex-boyfriends step-brother. Why was everything always so complicated?

The sound of the bell ringing to signal the start of another class period made Rachel realize that she'd been standing frozen in place for quite a while. She tried to calm the emotions that were swirling through her, trying to breakout but she kept her cool. Rachel didn't need to give her unforgiving classmates another reason to pick on her and cover her with slushies, and she knew they would come. Ever since her relationship with Finn became official at the start of the school year, the slushies had almost gone to a complete stop. As soon as word got around school that they had broken up, it would once again be open season on Rachel Berry, soon to be Broadway star. Not that anyone really believed it when she told them, but Rachel knew it was a given.

Rachel strode purposefully down the hallway with her eyes forward and her back straight until she reached her locker. Rachel took a deep breath, putting in her combination slowly, and opened the door. This was it. It was time to move on with her new life… without Finn Hudson. Rachel quickly stretched her arms behind her head and released the clasp and let her necklace fall gently into her waiting palm. She looked down at her glistening gold Finn necklace. It was the first gift he gave her after they became a couple over the summer. It was also the first gift a boy ever gave her, other than the tape Jesse had given her of her mother but she tried not to think of him…. ever. She hadn't taken it off since he'd given it to her one hot day in July when they sat outside in her backyard looking up at the stars. It had been so romantic and the kisses they'd shared that night had been perfect. Her dad and daddy didn't even tease her when she came in late all flushed and breathless. Instead, they'd told her how happy they were for her to find a guy that cared so much for her… and one that was so musically talented to be the Tony to her Maria.

Those days seemed too far away… and she felt foolish for having ever believed that she and Finn had a future together. Guys like Finn Hudson do not date girls like Rachel Berry. They dated popular cheerleaders like Quinn and Santana. It seemed like the world was finally returning to normal after it had spun off its axis when she'd been foolish enough to think they had a chance together. Rachel sighed again, before setting the golden chain and Finn charm in her locker before glancing up at the small _Rachel and Finn Forever _sign she had stuck against the back of her locker door. She had spent hours perfecting the little sign, she'd wanted it to be absolutely perfect so that she could look at it every day as a reminder of how lucky she was to have a guy like Finn.

Rachel quickly swiped away the lone tear that she had tried to stop from spilling down her cheeks. She pulled down the sign, along with all the pictures and mementos of her time with Finn. She didn't want to leave any reminders of her relationship in her locker. There was no reason to keep them. She and Finn were over; she'd been foolish to ever think that he'd want to date a girl like her.

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For the first time in her life, Rachel skipped school. She didn't have the heart to deal with seeing anyone's faces or listen to the snide comments and whispers they'd say behind her back. Rachel knew she'd have to deal with those tomorrow. When she got home she immediately went to her room and got to work eliminating anything Finn related from her room, stuffing everything in a cardboard box and shoving it to the back of her closet. She couldn't stand the sight of them, but that didn't mean she had the heart to throw everything out right away. Maybe someday in the near future…

The house was quiet and lonely as Rachel tried to think of something, anything to do to keep her mind off this last week. Her parents were out of town for the weekend so she'd have the house to herself and for once she really wished she wasn't an only child. She'd rather share her dad and daddy any day then sit around the house for another minute thinking about the look on Finn's face when she told him she'd kissed Noah. He'd been so heartbroken… she didn't think he could have possibly been hurt worse than when Quinn and Puck had admitted the paternity of Beth to him in the choir room.

She tried to record another video but her heart wasn't really in it so she gave up after the first ten minutes. She sat staring at her phone for what felt like hours, waiting and hoping that someone would call to check in on her and save her from her depressing thoughts. She didn't even have her low fat frozen yogurt to wallow in. Rachel was so busy wallowing in her thoughts that she nearly missed the sound of the phone ringing. She quickly ran from her desk, sliding along her bed and grabbed the phone.

"Hello," Rachel questioned, trying to regain her breath and sound completely normal.

"Rachel honey, it's your dad we just wanted to let you know that our plane made it alright and wanted to make sure you're doing alright at home by yourself," Rachel's father Leroy said.

For a moment Rachel considered telling him the truth about her breakup with Finn and begging them to come home early but decided to be strong, "I'm doing fine Dad, this isn't the first time I've stayed home alone. I think I can manage for a few days, though I will miss you. We're out of my favorite nonfat frozen yogurt so I may have to stop at the store. Oh, and make sure Daddy doesn't eat too much fast food. You know it's bad for his high blood pressure. You should really try to stay as close to his diet as possible."

Leroy chuckled gently, "I love you baby girl, enjoy your frozen yogurt, and I promise to make sure your Daddy follows his diet on this trip. Don't forget to keep the doors locked while we're gone, and call us if you need anything. We can get a flight home at any time."

"Oh no, I'll be fine. Now that we've won Sectionals the glee club is going to need to step it up if we plan on having any chance of beating Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals. I'm endeavoring to find some music that'll blow them away with our vocal ability and dance choreography," Rachel burst out, already coming up with a list of solos that would showcase her talent.

"As long as you make sure to have some _fun_ over the weekend honey, you work too hard." There was a slight muffled sound in the background before Leroy spoke again, "Our ride is here, so I've got to go. Daddy and I love you, Punkin'."

Rachel blushed, "Dad. How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that."

Leroy chuckled, "No matter how much you change I'll always remember that little girl that demanded to carve her own pumpkin for Halloween, but could never pronounce it properly no matter how hard your daddy and I tried."

Rachel said her goodbyes and hung-up the phone. She was glad to hear from her fathers, but was disappointed that she hadn't heard from anyone in glee. After everything they'd been through together over the last year, she'd thought they'd become true friends. But it seemed that while everyone else had gotten to know each other she remained on the outside. Rachel Berry was a critical member of the glee club, their strongest singer, but when it came to social gatherings and hanging out she was always left alone.

Over the summer she tried hard to ignore the pain she felt whenever she heard that Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt went off to the mall without her. Sometimes they even took Quinn, Brittney, and Santana along. It hurt her, though you'd never hear her admit it. Why were they so willing to let the other girls go along? She was one of the original members yet it didn't seem to matter. She had been all right with it, though, because she'd had Finn, and he had been all that mattered. Now he was gone and she had nothing. No friends that would sit with her while she cried her heart out over the loss of the one and only boy who had truly stolen her heart. (Jesse didn't count). And the one person that she could've talked to, Kurt was gone, off to Dalton Academy so she couldn't talk to him about her problems. Besides, Finn was his new step-brother and she didn't want to make things complicated. Rachel Berry was a star and she was going to become the next Barbara Streisand one day. If people couldn't accept that, then it was their loss. It always was a little lonely at the top.


	2. The First Day of the Rest of Her

**There's Always Tomorrow**

By: Meredith Richardson

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters that Ryan Murphy came up with.

Summary: Rachel thought her life was over the day Finn broke up with her in the school hallway… she was wrong. This is the story of a girl that learns there's more to life than boys and singing on Broadway.

Time Line: Takes place right after Glee S2E9 (Special Education) things will go a little AU from there J

AN: This is the second story I've ever written so please let me know what you think. It's a little rough around the edges but I started rewatching Glee this summer, waiting like everyone for Glee Season 4 (woot) and I had to share.

AN2: Thanks again to my amazing beta BurningCrashingRaining!

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**Chapter 2: The First Day of the Rest of Her Life**

The weekend went fairly quickly for Rachel, much to her relief. She did everything she could to keep her mind off of Finn and the lack of phone calls from him and everyone in glee. It hurt that they hadn't checked on her but what hurt her most of all was that Kurt hadn't called. She knew that he was busy at his new school, but she thought that he'd at least find the time to call her and make sure she was all right, or call and yell at her for being so stupid and hurting Finn. She spent extra time at the dance studio until they kicked her out to get ready for the next class, hours working to get ahead on her homework assignments, and running through the park (she didn't stay fit by sitting around all day). The house was lonely, but she needed the silence to mentally prepare herself for Monday morning.

She was dreading returning to school more than anything else. It would be hard to see Finn in the hallways for the first time after their confrontation, but she couldn't stand the thought of everyone talking about her behind her back and laughing at her. Rachel was a strong girl but even the strongest individuals could be hurt by words. Noah was a fine example.

Though she spent hours preparing for her return to school it didn't make it any easier. The Monday morning after her breakup was one of the hardest of her life. For years, she'd wished that people would notice her, but not like this. While people hadn't talked _to_ her over the weekend they had certainly been talking_ about _her. News had certainly traveled fast around McKinley High School in their small town of Lima, Ohio. Rachel had to physically clench her muscles to stop herself from running in the other direction when she noticed the stares as she walked down the hallway. To herself, she was mentally repeating the phrase, _'You, Rachel Berry are a star, and stars do not run away. No matter what, stars do not run away.'_ Everyone was pointing at her and whispering about her behind her back. Some – if not most – of the girls glared at her for breaking the quarterback's heart.

Rachel was completely unaware that they glared because they were jealous that the loser girl from glee had managed to attract the eyes of not one, but two of the best looking guys in the school. She also didn't notice some of the heated stares that followed her long legs and short skirt down the hall, but someone else did. While the girls were jealous, the boys of McKinley High were curious and intrigued. How had that tiny little thing caught the eyes of two of McKinley's own football players, including Puck the self-titled 'sex shark'? She had to be willing to put out to catch their attention.

Rachel had just reached her locker when Mercedes and Tina came up from behind her. She wasn't sure if she should talk to them or ignore them for not calling her all weekend. If they were truly worried about her, wouldn't they have checked to make sure she was all right?

"Hey girl, we heard about what happened on Friday. I can't believe you did that to Finn, he really cared about you," Mercedes stated, moving to stand beside Rachel.

Tina nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that was totally uncool. Mike told me he tried going over to see Finn on Saturday but he refused to see anyone all weekend. He's really torn up about it."

Rachel stared at them unable to think of anything to say. She felt like a fool for thinking they actually cared about her enough to see how she was dealing with the breakup. All they wanted to do was make her feel worse and get more gossip.

"I'm sorry that this weekend was difficult for Mike and Finn. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings or break his heart. My heart is broken just as much as his and it's nice to know that you guys care. Unfortunately I don't have time to discuss the matter with you because its imperative that we receive a proper education and class is about to start," Rachel concluded, before pulling out her Algebra book and slamming her locker shut, while they stood there, shocked and a little confused by her speech. She took the opportunity to walk away from them before they could say anything else.

The morning passed by fairly quickly, Rachel tried to take seats in the back of every classroom and tried to avoid looking anyone directly in the eye. It wasn't until she was in the cafeteria with her tray filled with fresh fruit and a small sandwich that she realized that she had no idea where to sit. She and Finn had worked out a schedule at the beginning of the school year. Monday and Friday they sat alone together, Wednesday they sat with everyone from glee, and Tuesday and Thursday Finn sat with the football team while she sat with Mercedes, Artie, and Tina. They'd been sitting like that all semester and she had no idea what to do. She could sit with her fellow glee members but they'd probably just ask more questions like this morning.

She was tempted to dump her tray and hideout in the choir room but she was too nervous to eat breakfast and she didn't want to embarrass herself even more by allowing Finn to chase her out of the cafeteria. Rachel noticed Finn sitting quietly with the football team on the other side of the room and let out a small sigh. If he could make it through lunch than so could she. She noticed an empty table off towards the side, away from the football and glee tables.

Rachel sat down gently, sitting in the perfect position that she could see most of the cafeteria, including her fellow glee members who were sitting close together whispering, and looking towards her every once in a while. It made Rachel feel like she'd made the right decision not to sit with them this afternoon. They probably would've pounced on her for information about the breakup and given her a hard time for cheating on Finn. It frustrated her to no end that they were willing to judge her and ridicule her for kissing Puck when Finn had been the one to _lie _about sleeping with Santana. Didn't anyone realize that she was completely heartbroken, too?

Noah was the only one that saw her pain, and had been there for her in her time of need. Albeit he'd ended up doing more harm than good, but at least he cared. Who would've thought that the most badass member of glee would give a damn about anyone but himself? He used the lame excuse that he was just looking out for another Jew but Rachel knew better. Beneath the tough and badass exterior was a kind soul that really cared about those around him. He was just afraid he'd get too close and have another person abandon him like his father when he was a little boy. Rachel would never tell anyone, but she knew the truth and she hoped someday he'd be willing to show his softer side to the world.

Rachel was trying to keep her eyes from drifting over to Finn for the fourth time when she was startled by a large backpack plopping down on the table across from her. She glanced up into the bright smiling face of the newest member of glee.

"Hey Rachel, sorry I didn't mean to startle you," Sam said as he sat across from her, dropping his own tray in front of him before digging into a huge plate of French fries. She watched as he ate a hand full, carefully dosing each fry with ketchup before he continued, "I noticed you were sitting alone over here and I thought I'd keep you company."

Rachel continued to watch him eat, "You don't have to sit by me Sam, you've probably already heard of the demise of my relationship with Finn. The football team won't be very happy if you're seen anywhere near me… and I don't want to get you into trouble with Finn. We may have officially parted ways, but he has no say in who I talk to, even if our relationship is platonic as you are dating Quinn Fabray."

Sam starred at Rachel unable to comprehend how someone so small can say so much and so quickly, "Wow, you sure can talk a lot." He raised his hand to stop her when she opened her mouth to respond, "Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to insult you, it's actually kind of awesome. I usually have a hard time with finding the right thing to say and end up looking like an idiot, but take it from me – sometimes fewer words will mean a lot more. Anyway, that's not why I came over to sit with you."

"Why did you sit with me, not that I'm complaining or anything, but Finn and Quinn might not be too happy about it. Ever since I cheated on Finn it seems like I've become a social pariah. No one wants to sit with me for fear of being slushied," Rachel interrupted.

"Besides enjoying your fine company," Sam teased, "I actually wanted to talk to you about History. You missed class for like the first time ever on Friday, and Mr. Johnson assigned us group projects. I didn't want you to get stuck with someone creepy like Jacob Ben-Israel so I volunteered to be your partner."

Rachel burst out into a big smile and wanted to cry. Maybe she did have a friend, or at least someone that cared enough about her to make sure she wasn't stuck with her stalker, known as Jacob Ben-Israel. "That's so nice of you Sam, I don't know how I would've survived having to spend time alone with Jacob," she shuddered, "He's been my constant shadow since we started high school. I'm sorry I missed class on Friday. I'm ashamed to admit that after my unpleasant and slightly humiliating breakup with Finn Friday afternoon, I didn't have the heart to attend my last class." Rachel bit her lip gently looking at Sam, "You don't think Mr. Johnson's mad at me, do you? I've never skipped a class in my entire life… I can't believe I did it over a boy!"

Sam smiled at her small hysterics, "I don't think he really noticed until he was writing down partners for the assignment. It's not due until next Friday so we have some time. We're supposed to write a paper and do a presentation on a major event during World War II. I chose D-day, if that's alright with you?"

Rachel nodded, "That sounds fine, we can meet at my house a few times this week and work on our project. Unless you'd like to meet at your place?"

Sam was quick to respond, "I'll talk to my mom and let you know what day's I'm free. I usually babysit my little brother and sister after school."

"Oh that's fine. If you want, we can go to your house. I'd be happy to meet your younger siblings, and maybe make your family dinner. It would only be the polite thing to do, especially after you saved me from Jacob and his roaming hands," Rachel announced, already planning a meal to prepare for the Evans family. Her parents had taught her proper manners, after all.

Sam glanced over and noticed his girlfriend's angry stare, "That sounds great, Rachel. We can talk more about it in glee tomorrow afternoon. I've gotta go and talk to Quinn and make sure she doesn't think I'm hitting on you or something." Sam moved to stand, swinging his backpack over his shoulder, and grabbed his now empty tray, "This project is gonna be awesome, I'm glad I chose you as my partner."

Rachel remained seated even after most of the students had left the cafeteria. Maybe things weren't as bad as she thought. For the first time after her breakup with Finn she felt an ounce of happiness seep through the aching pain inside her heart. Who would've thought that she, Rachel Berry, would be able to make a friend without Finn by her side? Maybe she was going to be okay after all.

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AN: Does anyone know when Sam's father loses his job and they're evicted? I've looked everywhere and I can't find the information anywhere. Please review and let me know what you guys think… just let me know if you think I should continue this.


	3. Confrontation

**There's Always Tomorrow**

By: Meredith Richardson

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters that Ryan Murphy came up with.

Summary: Rachel thought her life was over the day Finn broke up with her in the school hallway… she was wrong. This is the story of a girl that learns there's more to life than boys and singing on Broadway.

Time Line: Takes place right after Glee S2E9 (Special Education) things will go a little AU from there J

AN: This is the second story I've ever written so please let me know what you think. It's a little rough around the edges but I started rewatching Glee this summer, waiting like everyone for Glee Season 4 (woot) and I had to share.

AN2: Thank you so much BurningCrashingRaining for dealing with my constant story changes and endless edits. You've really motivated me to keep writing this story after I got discouraged and couldn't think of anything to write. Thank you to all the people that are now following my story it means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

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Chapter 3: Confrontation

The afternoon was starting to look up for Rachel. She had been able to avoid running into the rest of glee club, who would no doubt grill her about her breakup, and had been lucky enough to stay clear of Finn. She didn't think she was strong enough to deal with him without running away in tears. The pain of his betrayal and their separation was still too near to her heart. And that's what she thought of it as, a betrayal. She knew she had made a bad decision in kissing Puck. Finn was still very touchy after what he did with Quinn, but he had betrayed in her so many ways. He had slept with the girl who had made her life a living hell since the beginning of high school. She understood that it had happened when they weren't in a relationship but it still hurt. And to have to hear it from _Santana_ of all people? Why couldn't Finn just tell her the truth? Santana went out of her way to make Rachel's life a living hell, had used their relations as one more way to break Rachel Berry. Santana had always been there, in the background doing everything in her power to crush her. She had thrown slushies in her face numerous times, and when that wasn't enough she talked others into doing the same. Rachel had been forced to always carry an additional set of clothes because of it. It only got worse after Santana joined Glee Club. It was the one place that Rachel felt like she could be herself, the one place that she was safe in this school and all that changed in an instant. Not only did Rachel have to deal with Quinn and her accusations about Finn last year, but now Santana was always there to tear her down. Anytime Rachel did something that her fellow Glee Clumbers disliked, Santana was there to egg them on. She'd ridiculed Rachel about her relationship with Jesse when she'd been heartbroken about his betrayal. No one had said anything to contradict her or done anything to make her feel better.

There was no way to describe how hurt she was, to learn that she couldn't trust Finn. After everything they'd been through, the one thing she thought she could trust was Finn's word, and that was worth nothing to her now. And that wasn't the only thing he had done to her. Since they had first started talking to each other, Finn had refused to defend her in fear of people making fun of him instead. He had made a lot of poor choices, he had tried to trick her into rejoining glee by flirting with her when he thought his girlfriend was pregnant with _his _baby. Finn had also chosen football over glee last year when Coach Tanaka had given the boys an ultimatum, while Noah had surprised everyone and chosen his friends in glee over a silly sport. Rachel wasn't sure why she hadn't noticed it sooner, but Noah had always been there for her unlike everyone else in Glee that took the easy route an chose to remain quiet in her time of need. Noah had nearly gotten expelled when he decided to get even with Vocal Adrenaline after they'd tricked her into going out into the parking lot and tormented her before tossing eggs at her. She had been utterly terrified and humiliated when Jesse smashed the cold disgusting egg over her head. She still had nightmares about the experience.

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Rachel received curious stares of everyone in Spanish class, even from Mr. Schuester when she passed her usual seat in the front of the class for a quiet seat in the back of the classroom. She usually believed that it was critical to one's education to sit in the front where you could easily observe the lesson and be noticed by the teacher. But this time she wanted to stay as inconspicuous as possible. She didn't want to have to listen to the whispers behind her. She'd had to deal with enough of those throughout the day and they were really starting to affect her no matter how hard she tried to ignore them.

The class passed quickly. Rachel spent the class avoiding Mr. Schuester's eyes, remaining quiet in her seat staring out the window. When the bell rang, she slowly packed up her things. Rachel slid her notebook, Spanish textbook, and pencils into her bag before heading towards the door of the near empty classroom. She didn't want to deal with Mr. Schuester's cheerful demeanor and kind concern. She had just let out a sigh, relieved that once again she'd been able to avoid a confrontation with her fellow glee members when someone said her name from behind.

"Rachel! Man-hands get over here. I want to talk to you," Quinn demanded, standing before Rachel impeccably dressed in her cheerios uniform and perfectly styled blonde hair pulled back in the standard cheerios ponytail.

Rachel gulped. Out of everyone at McKinley, she'd dreaded talking to Quinn the most. Rachel had started dating Finn after Quinn had cheated on him with Puck and become pregnant with his baby. But it wasn't just the relationship drama that had her avoiding Quinn. No, it was Shelby and Beth. It seemed like she'd always come second best to girls like Quinn. She felt like a fool for believing that Finn would actually choose her over a cheerleader like Quinn or Santana. She wasn't enough for her Finn or Noah, and she certainly hadn't been enough for her mother. How could she possibly think that Rachel didn't need her in her life? Why did she have to give up on Rachel so quickly and decide to start over from scratch with Quinn and Puck's daughter, Beth?

It seemed like no one ever thought about her feelings and how this affected her. Rachel was truly happy for Beth; she deserved to live with a family or mother that could give her the life she deserved. But didn't Shelby see how much Rachel still needed her mom? She might not need her mother around to teach her how to walk and talk but she still needed advice that only a mother could give. She hadn't talked to anyone - not even her fathers - but after she'd gotten over the initial shock, she'd been really excited about getting to know her birth mother. There were so many things she wanted to know. So many questions she needed answered. But her dreams of finally having a mother were shattered in an instant. She would never have that maternal figure to give her advice about boys and things like sex. Maybe if her mother had been around she would've gone to her about her problems with Finn, rather than turning to Puck.

Rachel was startled out of her thoughts by Quinn as she walked closer, "It's not going to happen Berry."

"What are you talking about Quinn," Rachel asked confused.

"Just because you were stupid enough to lose Finn, over the dunderhead Puck no less, does not mean that you can try to steal another one of _my_ boyfriends," Quinn burst out, clearly upset.

Rachel starred at Quinn's face, at first uncertain if the girl was messing with her. When she realized Quinn was serious, she tried not to laugh, "You think I'm trying to steal Sam away from you?"

"He sat with you at lunch, didn't he? You both looked like you were having such a good time and he's never really talked to you before. Now, you're single again and he's all over you. Why couldn't you just have _ignored_ the fact that Finn and Santana slept together? It's not like you guys were dating at the time. You should've stayed all lovey-dovey with Finn, and then gone off to Broadway after graduation, but no you have to ruin everything for me. You always set your eyes on _my_ boyfriends, and I don't get what they see in you, Man-hands."

Rachel flinched. "I'm not trying to steal your boyfriend Quinn. Do you honestly think I can move on from Finn _that_ quickly? Not that you care to comprehend my feelings, but Finn broke my heart first. And Sam is completely in love with you, everyone can see it. I missed History class on Friday and Sam was just letting me know about a group assignment we were assigned while I was gone. We were trying to set up a time to work on our project. Sam is a lovely boy Quinn. But I'm not interested in him, and if I were, I wouldn't have pursued him. Despite what you may think Quinn, my mission in life is _not_ to try to ruin your life. I actually thought we were starting to become friends..."

Quinn just stared at Rachel in utter silence.

"If there isn't anything else you want to _accuse_ me of, I need to get to History. I missed class on Friday, and I need to get caught up. That is, if it's all right with you," she said sarcastically.

There was a moment of utter silence, " Don't get smart with me Berry. Now that you and Finn are over, you're back to the bottom of the food chain. You're wrong Rachel, we'll _never _be friends because I can't trust you to keep you nasty hands away from _my_ boyfriends. Stay away from Sam, I'll be watching you," Quinn stated before turning, and strutting down the hallway.

Rachel sighed as she watched the petite cheerleader gracefully stride away. Just when things were finally starting to look up, she'd caught the head cheerleader's eye. Great, just what she needed. She could never get a break! And it wasn't like she could avoid spending time with Sam even if she wanted to. They had an assignment in history, and she wasn't willing to risk her grades to avoid Quinn's wrath. She would have to learn to deal. Was a little peace and quiet too much to ask for? She could deal with Finn's indiscretion by herself, but to have to deal with everyone, even people from glee constantly giving her grief was disheartening. Couldn't anyone let her deal with her heartbreak in peace, rather than doing everything in their power to make it worse? Hell, now she was going to be late for History!


	4. New Friends and History Projects

**There's Always Tomorrow**

By: Meredith Richardson

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters that Ryan Murphy came up with.

Summary: Rachel thought her life was over the day Finn broke up with her in the school hallway… she was wrong. This is the story of a girl that learns there's more to life than boys and singing on Broadway.

Time Line: Takes place right after Glee S2E9 (Special Education) things will go a little AU from there J

AN: This is the second story I've ever written so please let me know what you think. It's a little rough around the edges but I started rewatching Glee this summer, waiting like everyone for Glee Season 4 (woot) and I had to share.

AN2: Thank you so much for all the story alerts and favorites it means a lot that you guys are interested in my crazy ramblings. Please review and let me know what you think about your opinions and what you think is going to happen next.

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Chapter 4: New Friends and History Projects

As soon as she'd left the Spanish classroom she'd rushed clear across campus but still hadn't made it to class in time. Despite being blindsided by Quinn and having to deal with her jealousy, Rachel refused to let it ruin her afternoon. She wanted to move on from her humiliating breakup with Finn and she wasn't going to let Quinn stop her. Sam was willing to ignore her indiscretion with Puck and wanted to be her friend. Rachel was willing to deal with Quinn's wrath. It wasn't like she had a line of people willing to become her friend, especially now that everyone hated her for breaking Finn's heart. She'd heard a lot of the terrible whispers. Everyone thought she was a slut for cheating on McKinley High's quarterback for the resident bad boy and impregnator. It took every ounce of Rachel's confidence to not run crying out the school doors for home. She refused to give into their hurtful words… no matter how much they stung.

Rachel was relieved to discover that Mr. Johnson was not angry that she arrived a few minutes late to class. Thank God for small favors! He had just started handing out packets containing expectations and guidelines for their projects when she walked into the room. Rachel quietly walked to her seat as he chose to ignore her late entry and just waved Rachel to the seat next to Sam when she walked into the classroom. As Rachel walked towards the back of the classroom to take her seat beside Sam, she was tempted to run for the door as she heard people whispering rumors about why she was late for class. She overheard one girl whisper to her friend that Rachel was late because she was in the janitor's closet with Puck.

She chose to ignore the biting comments and clenched her fists to stop herself from retaliating. Instead she hurried over to her seat beside Sam, who had used his backpack to save her a seat. Rachel blushed and whispered, "I'm so sorry I'm late, I got delayed. I'm usually a very punctual person. I must seem like a terrible student after skipping class and coming in late the last few days. I hope you won't regret picking me as your partner. I promise I'll do my best to make sure we receive an adequate grade on this project!"

Sam let a small smirk slide across his face as he listened to her ramble on, "No worries, I'm sure we'll do just fine. You shouldn't worry so much. What made you late for class? You're never late, in fact, you're usually early to everything, especially glee."

Rachel bit her lip, she might not care for Quinn but Sam had gone out of his way to be nice to her. She didn't want to do anything to upset him or ruin his new relationship with Quinn. Anyone could tell how much he cared about Quinn. And despite their volatile relationship, Rachel saw how good Sam was to Quinn. He was the only one that didn't judge Quinn for everything she'd been through last year with Puck and Finn. Rachel thought Quinn deserved to find peace after she'd selflessly given Beth up, giving her the chance at a bright future. Even though Quinn sometimes made her want to pull out her hair and scratch out her eyes for being so cruel and insensitive.

"I was talking to Quinn after Spanish class, she had a question about something and we lost track of the time," she said.

Sam continued to keep his eyes straight ahead, watching as Mr. Johnson discussed the sources they could use for their projects, before quietly responding, "Quinn's really good at Spanish. I doubt she was asking you questions. What did she really say to you?"

Rachel worried her lip, "She was just wondering about Finn and I. She also wanted to know why we were sitting together at lunch," she quickly rushed on, "I completely understand why she was upset. We haven't been on the best of terms. I was the one who told Finn that Puck was the father of Quinn's baby last year, though I only did that because it wasn't right to keep it a secret. She blamed me for how angry Finn was with her. Finn was really broken up about it. Anyway, Quinn's been though a lot over the last year, and she's worried that she'll lose another person that she cares about."

"What you really mean to say is that she was giving you a hard time, right?" Sam asked.

Rachel rushed to respond, "She was confused because we never spend time together, which is true. Today at lunch was the first time I've really talked to you outside of glee. Not that I'm complaining, I think you're a very intelligent young man, and I hope we can become friends."

"We're already friends, Rach-" Sam was cut off when Mr. Johnson finished his speech and told everyone to get with their partners and start working on their projects.

"We're already friends, Rachel," Sam repeated, "I know you and Finn sabotaged yourselves in the competition so that Quinn and I would win," he rushed to stop her from denying it, "Don't deny it. I know you're having a hard time with this whole Finn thing. And I can't believe what Santana said to you in Glee the other day, it's unbelievable."

"Why _are_ you being so nice to me? No one's ever really been nice to me. All they care about is my talent," Rachel finally got the courage to ask.

"I figure no one's really taken the time to ask you how you're doing, or realized how broken up you are about Finn and Santana. Everyone's been talking about what you did to Finn but they haven't acknowledged what he did to you, which is so not cool."

Sam Evans might have been new to McKinley High, but he saw a lot more than those around him. He was the first person to see her pain, and the first person to try and make her feel better without ulterior motives.

Rachel's face broke out into a beautiful smile, "Thank you Samuel. Now, enough about my past relationship, we've got research to do."

They didn't have much time to talk about anything outside of their project the rest of the class period. Mr. Johnson spent the remaining class time watching them like a hawk as he circled the classroom, overseeing everyone brainstorm ideas with their small groups. Rachel was surprisingly happy and relieved to learn that she and Sam worked well together. They were utterly comfortable in each other's company and were easily able to come up with a few ideas for their project. Despite Rachel missing the first day of the assignment they were easily able to catch up to everyone else, and went to Mr. Johnson for permission to go to the library for more resources.

By the end of class they had agreed on their first meeting to work on their history project. They decided that the most convenient place to study would be Sam's because he needed to watch his siblings. They were going to go over to Sam's house after Glee the following afternoon. The plan was to stop over at the elementary school first, and pick up Sam's younger brother and sister, Stevie and Stacey. Then they would drive to the local supermarket where Rachel planned to get the ingredients to make her famous tacos for the whole Evans family.

Rachel was a bundle of nerves and could barely sleep that night. She wasn't worried about meeting Sam's parents because parents usually loved her strong and determined personality. They usually hoped that she would be a positive influence, like Finn's mom, Carol, who had hoped their dating would improve Finn's grades. Rachel didn't have the heart to tell Carol that Finn was a hopeless case.

No, she was worried about meeting Stevie and Stacey Evans. She had always had trouble connecting with kids, even with kids her own age. Her parents said she was wise beyond he years and very sophisticated. They also said it would help her get parts on Broadway when she was older, but Rachel thought it ruined her childhood. It was really hard to make friends. She had a habit of scaring everyone away with her intensity, especially children because she didn't have anything in common with them. They were always playing games of make believe while she was attending vocal and dance lessons to prepare her for her destiny on Broadway. She had been such a determined little girl that no one had really understood her passion and obsession with dancing and singing as a child. It was hard for her to make friends growing up because they never understood her or her dream.

What could she possibly have in common with them? She was worried about ruining her friendship with Sam before it had truly begun. That's how it usually happened, she started off friendships well then she inevitably did something, usually said something insulting without even realizing it and ruined the friendship. Was it her fault that she was honest with people? Rachel thought it was silly when a girl would ask her how her hair looked, and would become a total bitch (yes Rachel knows the word) when she was honest and said it looked terrible. Was she supposed to lie and have her get laughed at by everyone else at school? Her fathers had raised her to be an honest and trustworthy young woman. They taught her integrity and how important it was to get to know someone before making judgments. Why was it so hard for everyone else to do the same?


	5. Conversations and Truck Rides

**There's Always Tomorrow**

By: Meredith Richardson

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters that Ryan Murphy came up with.

Summary: Rachel thought her life was over the day Finn broke up with her in the school hallway… she was wrong. This is the story of a girl that learns there's more to life than boys and singing on Broadway.

Time Line: Takes place right after Glee S2E9 (Special Education) things will go a little AU from there J

AN: This is the second story I've ever written so please let me know what you think. It's a little rough around the edges but I started rewatching Glee this summer, waiting like everyone for Glee Season 4 (woot) and I had to share.

AN2: Thanks again to BurningCrashingRaining for being an amazing beta! I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who's following my story or made it a favorite. You guys are so awesome! I also wanted to thank you to lappers84 for being the first to review and staying with me now that I've reposted my story. Thank you so much for your advice and ideas. Now on with the show… I'm finally introducing Puck to the story. I hope you enjoy… please review 0:)

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**Chapter 5: Conversations and Truck Rides**

Rachel was still nervous when she left for school the next morning. She had once again decided to wear her warm fleece sweater and a short black pleated skirt. Rachel had just locked the front door when she heard a car horn honk behind her. She tried to hide her surprise and confusion when she saw the familiar old beat up ford truck parked in front of her house.

She stood frozen on the sidewalk, internally debating if she should turn around, go inside, and lock the door behind her. Her mental struggle finally ended when she realized that she couldn't miss another day of classes. If she wanted to get into a performing arts school her record needed to be meticulous, skipping classes definitely wouldn't help with that.

She hadn't seen Noah since the day he walked out of her bedroom after trying to make her feel better about Finn. That had been an utter disaster, at least for her relationship with Finn. Rachel couldn't help but think about how he made her feel when he'd kissed her. She'd dated Finn for months and they hadn't shared the same chemistry. Finn had been annoyed when she barely let him touch her, but she'd been more than willing to let Noah caress her. There was something about Noah; maybe it was his suave confident persona that drew her in. She'd never met anyone more confident in his own skin, at least about his sexual prowess. He still hid the softer "Noah" from everyone around him.

"Noah, what are you doing in front of my house this fine morning?" she chirped, "Shouldn't you be off tossing someone in a dumpster?" Rachel called, walking closer as Noah rolled down the passenger side window of his old truck.

Puck smirked, "Berry, I did that last week. Get in, I'm giving you a lift to school today."

"I regret to inform you Noah, that I have plans after school this afternoon and will need my own transportation," Rachel responded.

"I heard about your little date with Evans. Quinn went ape shit when she saw you sitting together at lunch yesterday. What was up with that, Berry?" he questioned, trying not to sound jealous or overly curious.

Rachel scoffed, "Language, Noah!"

"Whatever, why were you hanging out with Evans," Puck questioned trying to find out the truth behind Rachel and Sam's relationship.

Rachel smiled, "Don't tell me you're jealous Noah," she teased, "There's nothing between Sam and I but friendship. Honestly why does everyone think that something is going on? I swear, first Quinn yesterday and now you. Can't a girl and a guy be just friends?"

"No, they can't," Puck said.

A look of confusion crossed Rachel's face, "Why on earth can't they?"

"Men and women can never be _just _friends cause one of them is _always_ thinking about having sex with the other," Puck stated blandly. "I mean it's only natural, guys think about sex every few seconds. I've already thought of at least a dozen different ways I could fuck you!"

"NOAH," Rachel screeched, her cheeks turning bright red in embarrassment, unwilling to admit that he'd flattered her just a little bit. "That doesn't make any sense. I've had a lot of male friends," Rachel burst out.

"Name one!"

Rachel thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up, "Kurt and I are friends."

"Oh come on, Berry that one's too easy! Kurt doesn't count," Puck stated.

"Why not," Rachel asked pouting.

Puck smirked, "Because the dudes an honorary girl... sometimes I think he's more of a girl than you are, and no, I'm not insulting you. Who else?"

"Well... we're friends aren't we," Rachel questioned quietly.

Puck's face softened a little, "We are but we'll never be _just friends_, I can promise you that. I'm not gonna lie my hot little Jewish American Princess, I could never look at you in one of those tiny skirts without thinking about bending you over the piano in the choir room and-"

"NOAH!" Rachel blushed even harder, completely horrified and deeply aroused, "What if the neighbors heard you," she said swinging around to make sure they were alone. Luckily they were the only ones around and no one heard their conversation. If her fathers had heard what Noah had said…

Puck watched her before letting out a deep belly laugh, "Chill out, we're alone. Do you think I have a death wish? If your dads found out what I'd like to do to you, they'd be after me with that old shot gun your daddy keeps in the basement."

Rachel gave him a small smile, "He would, he's very protective of me and would kill you for trying to degrade me in any way. You're just lucky I never told him about all those slushies."

"Yea, whatever. Anyway you still haven't named one guy that you were just friends with. I think you're trying to distract me," Puck teased.

"Well, I was friends with Finn," Rachel trailed off.

Puck smirked, it seemed to be permanently plastered to his face, "You and Finn were never friends. He was always thinking about your tiny little skirts and your sexy long legs."

Rachel gasped and exclaimed, "Noah, why do you always use such derogatory terms?"

"Sorry but it's who I am, babe. And it's true. Finn's a guy. He just won't admit that he wanted to touch your boobs just as much as me. I don't have a problem with stating the truth." Puck noticed the sad look that crossed Rachel's face when he mentioned Finn's ability to lie and changed the subject, "And I'm not jealous."

Rachel looked confused, still thinking about how Finn had lied to her and gotten her into this mess in the first place, "What did you say?"

"You said I was jealous of you and Evans, and I'm totally not... just not cool that the guy's scamming on you and Quinn at the same time. Badasses like me do not get jealous of Bieber wannabe's," Puck stated.

"Don't call him that Noah Puckerman," Rachel exclaimed, "Sam Evans is a true friend and I thought you decided to turn over a new leaf after you got out of juvy. You could be such a good person if you stopped picking on everyone around you. You don't want to end up back there, do you?"

Though he would never admit it to her, Puck felt slightly embarrassed and ashamed of his actions, "I'm a badass Berry. I'll always be a badass, besides I only promised to be nice to hot Jew's like you princess, so get your fine ass in the truck."

"But Sam-" Rachel started.

Puck interrupted, "I have it on good authority that Sam's got his dad's car for the day so you won't need your car after school. So are you going to get in or not? I've got places to be and people to slushy!"

Rachel glanced at her car one last time before sighing, "Alright, I'll go with you but I _refuse_ to listen to any of that atrocious music that you're so obsessed with."

Puck rolled his eyes before getting out of the truck to come around and open the door for Rachel without realizing what he was doing.

"Thank you Noah," Rachel shot him a megawatt smile before climbing into the truck, unaware of Puck's eyes following her progress, hoping to catch a glimpse beneath her skirt.

Puck may do something nice every so often but there were usually ulterior motives. He slammed the passenger door after she was settled in the truck and walked around to the driver's side and climbed in. He started the car and adjusted the rearview mirror before casually saying, "I heard about what happened with Finn. How're you holding up?"

Rachel glanced over trying to determine if he was serious, "Do you really care? Or are you trying to get me to make out with you again, which is so not going to happen. I've learned my lesson!"

"Just looking out for a fellow Jew. I know you really cared about Finn and he hurt you a lot when he lied about Santana. Santana's a total bitch, but at least she was honest with you. Who knows if Finn would've ever told you the truth," Puck said, for once sounding completely sincere.

"I guess you're right," Rachel admitted, "But it still hurts. She didn't tell so that I would know the truth about Finn. She told me because she wanted to hurt my feelings," Rachel let out a breath and wiped away a stray tear as she watched the blocks fly by, "I really loved him Noah."

"I know you did, and I'm really sorry that you got hurt but you deserve better than Finn Hudson. I know I don't say this... ever, but I'm sorry for the part I had in your breakup. You were hurting and I kinda took advantage of you when you were upset with Finn. I shouldn't have kissed you," said Puck, pulling his truck into one of the few remaining parking spots in the McKinley High parking lot.

"You deserve the best Berry, we all know that you're going to go places after high school. If anyone's dreams are going to come true they're going to be yours. Don't let a guy hold you back from reaching Broadway and becoming the next Barbra Streisand."

Rachel turned to look Puck in the eye, "It's not your fault Noah. I knew what I was doing with you and I have to live with the consequences. If it makes you feel better it was one of the best kisses of my life," Rachel blushed, and watched as small groups of students made their way through the doors of McKinley High, "Thank you for the ride, Noah." She leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, climbed out of the truck, and walked away.

Puck would never admit it to anyone but as he watched her walk away and become lost in the sea of students, his hand gently cupped the cheek that was still warm from her kiss.

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AN: I know this chapter is short but I'll try to get another one posted soon. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter. Do you think Rachel can resist Puck long enough to teach him that guys and girls can be friends?


	6. Contemplation's and Decisions

**There's Always Tomorrow**

By: Meredith Richardson

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters that Ryan Murphy came up with.

Summary: Rachel thought her life was over the day Finn broke up with her in the school hallway… she was wrong. This is the story of a girl that learns there's more to life than boys and singing on Broadway.

Time Line: Takes place right after Glee S2E9 (Special Education) things will go a little AU from there J

AN: Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if anyone's disappointed that I've been focusing on Rachel rather than Puck. The beginning of the story is about Rachel growing as a person and not being defined by who's she is dating at a given time. I promise there will be lots of puckleberry goodness in the future but they're only going to be friends for awhile, despite how much Puck tries to convince her otherwise.

AN2: You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, alerts, and thank you to all of the people that made my story a favorite. It really means a lot to me and motivates me to update my story faster! Also want to send a shout out to BurningCrashingRaining and GirlInTheMirror121 for being great Betas!

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**Chapter 6: Contemplations and Decisions**

The school day passed fairly quickly for Rachel, who took it upon herself to avoid Noah Puckerman as much as humanly possible. It wasn't too difficult for her, while they shared the same Math and English class, he hadn't bothered to show up for either. This both annoyed and relived Rachel. She was annoyed because she knew he would have decent grades if he just applied himself and actually attended class once in a while. Rachel was relieved that he hadn't showed up because she was worried about seeing him after kissing him... again. Ever since her breakup with Finn she had decided to swear off men, at least for awhile. Her heart had been broken too many times recently and she wanted to focus less on dating, and more time on getting to know everyone in glee.

Noah had ruined her plan, or at least been a minor setback. There was something about him that drew Rachel in. She swore she wouldn't kiss him again but she couldn't resist. Noah had been so sweet and considerate, offering her a ride to school. He even took the time to check on her and make sure she was alright after her breakup with Finn, though he'd never admit it. _And _he even admitted that he'd been partially to blame, which was silly because Rachel felt guilty for using him to get back at Finn.

Rachel had rarely seen his softer side because he was always "Puck" at school. But at home she knew he was different, at home with his family he was a completely different person. He loved his single-overworked mother and his kid sister more than anything... except his daughter Beth. It always warmed her heart and when he saw them together. She knew they'd made the right decision, giving Beth up for adoption but it broke her heart. Noah would never admit it, but she knew he wanted to raise his beautiful baby girl, and that Beth would always have a place in his heart. Sometimes bad things happened, but there was always a reason. Quinn's pregnancy affected so many lives but if she hadn't gotten pregnant with Puck's child Beth would've never been born. Who could ever wish that precious child had never been born? She only wished that Noah would find the courage to show everyone what an amazing person he really was instead of hiding behind his tough guy persona.

There was something that Noah said on the way to school that she couldn't stop thinking about. Noah had said that men and women could never really be friends and she disagreed with that sentiment. If anyone described Rachel they would say other than being incredibly talented and that she dressed like an old lady and a young school girl all at the same time, they would say that she was a fiercely determined person. In Rachel's opinion her conversation that morning had seemed like a challenge, and she planned to treat it as such. It was the perfect plan, she's spend all her time becoming friends with the guys in glee rather than dating them. It would make things less awkward and easier to focus on the Regionals, besides she'd be too focused on being friends with Noah that it would keep her from jumping him and begging him to touch her.

It wasn't just Noah she wanted to become friends with, but everyone else in glee club. She had been so focused on herself for so long that she'd pushed everyone away. Admitting the trust hurt but maybe if things went well with Sam she could ask him for advice on being more approachable with the others. Rachel would have gone to Noah but she didn't quite trust herself alone with him, besides he'd probably just try (and succeed) to convince her to make out in a closet somewhere, or in the girls locker room like they had last year when they were dating.

Lunch went better than the previous day, Rachel finally got the courage to sit with the other glee kids. It helped that Sam and Puck were both there. She wasn't sure if they'd talked about it beforehand, but anytime anyone brought up Finn or the breakup one of them would always find a way to quickly change the topic. Having friends that really cared about you for who you are as a person rather than your talent was great and a new experience for Rachel. Growing up, the only friends she'd had were those in her vocal and dance classes that were friends with her until she was given the solos, then they would laugh at her and whisper behind her back. Sam and Noah's actions were surprisingly unexpected and thoughtful. Despite their attempts, Mercedes and Tina were able to corner her towards the end of the lunch period.

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"We're really sorry about how we acted yesterday, Rachel. We should've come to you rather than listening to all the gossip and I guess I can see why you'd kiss Puck. He is a fine specimen even though he is a little cocky," said Mercedes apologetically.

Tina nodded, "It wasn't any of our business, we just got caught up in all the drama, which isn't an excuse. Face it, we wouldn't be the glee club if we didn't have some drama," she teased.

Rachel blushed, "I'd just prefer the drama didn't include me for once."

"Mike and I talked to Sam yesterday, and he said you were really broken up about it. I can't believe how cruel and insensitive Santana was in the glee. She went out of her way to hurt you, knowing that it would break your heart when you found out about Finn. He should've told you the truth, it wasn't right for you to find out like that. I don't know what I would've done if it had been Mike. Instead of giving you the third degree we should have been there for you," Tina stretched her arms across the table to grasp Rachel's hands, "Can you ever forgive us?"

Rachel was still incredibly hurt by their actions the previous day. They should have come to her on their own, without Sam or anyone else prompting them. But she had decided on a brand new start for herself and it was only fair that Tina and Mercedes receive one as well. Rachel grasped Tina's hand and gave both girls a small smile, "Of course I forgive you, that's what friends are for, right," she questioned, still not entirely certain how to deal with a situation like this. Rachel was an incredible singer but she was clueless about proper social etiquette.

"Definitely," Mercedes grinned, "now girl tell us how you're holding up. Are you going to sing to Finn in glee today? There are so many different songs you could use that would make your voice sound amazing and Tina and I will help you out if you'd like."

Rachel worried her lip and looked down at her near empty lunch tray, "No, I'm not going to sing to Finn but thank you for offering your assistance. I think it's really over between us, and I'm ok with that."

Mercedes and Tina both gave her looks of shock and disbelief.

She rushed to finish, "Well I'm not alright but I will be eventually. After we broke up on Friday I came up with several selections that fit my vocal range perfectly and described my feelings, but I started to realize that I was choosing less songs about forgiveness and more about anger and heartbreak. As the weekend wore on I realized that I don't want to beg him to come back to me. Why should I beg him for his forgiveness when I'm still devastated by his betrayal of my trust. He _lied _to me and said he was a virgin. It might sound ridiculous and impractical but I refuse to be in a relationship where there's no trust. And I don't trust him, at least with my heart. I'm done embarrassing myself for him. It's time for me to focus on what's important!"

"Solos," Mercedes questioned less enthusiastic than before.

Rachel shook her head, "I like solos and I know that I'm an amazing performer," she blushed, "I know this is going to sound selfish and that my concentration should be on finding songs for our set list for Regional's, but I'd really like to get to know everyone in glee better. I feel like I've been so focused on myself or on Finn that I haven't really gotten to know either of you ladies or anyone else in glee."

Tina and Mercedes were completely blown away by Rachel's honesty. At first they thought she was going to give them a speech about why _she_ needed to have yet another solo, but they were wrong. Rachel was a little crazy, ok maybe a lot crazy, but she was just like them. She was just struggling to find herself and where she belonged in a school full of unforgiving teenagers.

Rachel took their silence as a negative response and rushed to say, "Don't get me wrong, I'll still dedicate all of my time to glee and help pick out an dazzling set list that will guarantee a win at Regionals and a trip to Nationals in New York. I also understand if you don't want to spend time getting better aquatinted..."

"No," both girls burst out.

"We were both surprised that you wanted to get to know us and spend time outside of glee," Tina rushed to say.

Mercedes nodded, "In the past you never seemed interested. You've always been so... focused on glee and your solos."

Rachel blushed, "I'm terribly sorry, I tend to focus all of my energy on one thing. When we started New Directions we were a rag tag group of misfits with no chance at winning. We didn't even have enough members to compete in a competition. So when the guys and cheerios joined I became so focused on winning. I didn't want Principle Figgins to cancel the club after we worked so hard to find each other."

"It'll be hard without Kurt this year, but we've got Sam now. We're so going to New York this year! Then you could actually see the city you're always talking about," Tina teased.

"I know I'm so excited, I've already taken the time to put together a list of events and places we can check out in New York if we get the opportunity to perform at Nationals. I thought it would be a great experience if we all went to a real Broadway production as a group," Rachel trailed off, blushing. "Sorry I've just been so excited about this once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Girl, that's awesome. I don't know about everyone else but I'd love to see a _real_ Broadway show instead of singing their songs in glee club. I can't believe you took the time to put that together for us, but first we need to win Regionals," Mercedes beamed, gathering her tray and her things together when the bell rang, announcing the end of their lunch period.

Rachel rose to follow, "Well, I do have a few ideas about song selection that could showcase a lot of our voices. It would make an excellent choice for Regionals."

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AN: Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, I'm already working on the next one. Let me know what you guys think should happen next and what you think will happen when Rachel meets Sam's younger brother and sister. On a side not does anyone know when Sam's family got evicted from their house? I can't find the information anywhere :(


	7. Choir Room Showdown

**There's Always Tomorrow**

By: Meredith Richardson

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of the characters that Ryan Murphy came up with. I also do not own the song performed by Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel in this chapter, 'We Are' is the property of Ana Johnsson.

Summary: Rachel thought her life was over the day Finn broke up with her in the school hallway… she was wrong. This is the story of a girl that learns there's more to life than boys and singing on Broadway.

Time Line: Takes place right after Glee S2E9 (Special Education) things will go a little AU from there J

AN: Happy Fourth of July to everyone who lives in the USA like me! I hope everyone's having a great day… ooo and happy Canada Day though I know that was a few days ago lol!

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**Chapter 7: Choir Room Showdown**

She stood outside the choir room door trying to convince herself to go inside. This was it. She could no longer avoid Finn Hudson and the end of their relationship. Rachel was kicking herself inside for dating a boy in glee and mentally swore to never do it again. It made things way too complicated. She loved glee club, usually she was the first one there. Now she was about to be late because of a boy. What had her world come to?

The sound of someone rushing down the hall towards her startled her out of her internal debate.

"Come on Rachel, we're gonna be late for glee," Sam's beaming face looked down at her before dragging her through the open doorway. She barely had a chance to look around before he was once again dragging her foreword. Sam gently nudged her into an empty seat beside Mercedes before taking the open seat between her and Quinn.

"Hey Rachel," Tina greeted from the seat behind her, Mike once again in his customary seat beside his girlfriend.

"Glad you could join us," Mercedes teased from her place on the other side of Rachel.

"Hello Tina, Mike, Mercedes," Rachel said politely, "how was your afternoon?"

Mike gave her a small nod, "Had a pop quiz in pre-calc today that killed me."

"I'm sure you did excellent," Tina assured her boyfriend, "You're great at math."

"I agree, they wouldn't have placed you in an advanced math course if you didn't excel in the subject," Rachel stated reasonably.

Mike grinned down at Rachel, "Thanks Rachel. You're probably right."

Before anyone could say anything further Mr. Schuester came striding into the classroom. "Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed your weekend because now it's time to get focused. You were phenomenal at Sectionals. I think we've got a real shot at Regionals this year. So we need to get serious and focus on putting together a set list that will win us Regionals. Has anyone prepared a song they'd like to perform for us?"

Everyone was silent at first, though a few were unabashed and glanced at Rachel to see if she would volunteer. Some assumed she'd rattle on a speech about why she needed to perform a solo at their next competition while others were looking forward to her belting out a song begging Finn to take her back. But Rachel remained in her seat facing Mr. Schuester utterly silent, for once not jumping at the chance to perform a solo.

Santana unhooked her pinky from Brittany's and leaned forward, "I'm sure the midget is dying to perform a heartbreaking melody for Finnocence, or is the song dedicated to… oh I don't know Puck!"

Rachel clenched her hands together in her lap, snatching a quick glance in Finn's direction who also remained completely silent, staring at his feet.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she got down on her knees and begged him to take her cheating dwarf ass back," Santana stated, smirking at the clearly upset young woman.

"Shut it Satan," Sam demanded from his seat between Quinn and Rachel.

Santana turned to look at Sam, "Of course you'd defend her trouty mouth! The midget has a habit of trying to steal Quinn's boyfriends. First Finn and now you. And they say I'm _easy_!"

"Shut the hell up Santana, we all know you're easy. It was no surprise to learn you spread your legs for Finn too," Puck snarled in Rachel's defense. Rachel flinched at Puck's statement but remained silent.

Santana stood to face Puck, getting right in front of him as everyone watched in anticipation waiting for someone to throw the first punch, "I bet you jumped at the chance to get between Berry's thighs!"

Finn flinched and his jaw tightened.

Mr. Schuester was livid and had clearly had enough, "Sit down, both of you," Mr. Schuester bellowed. "What has gotten into you guys? I thought we decided to cut the drama after everything we've been through last year."

"It's not my fault the Rachel's on a mission to kiss every guy in glee," Santana stated before flouncing back to her seat.

"Santana," Mr. Schuester warned, before waiting until Santana and Puck had both returned to their seats then said, "I'm really disappointed in both of you."

Rachel quietly raised her hand.

"Yes Rachel," Will sighed.

Rachel quickly rose from her seat, walking toward the center of the choir room, and turning to face her fellow classmates, "I apologize Mr. Schue, I'm afraid that the dramatic end of my relationship with Finn has caused quite a stir," she glanced over to look at Finn who wouldn't look her in the eye. "As a fellow member of glee I'm requesting that you honor our privacy and refrain from discussing our relationship."

"She means its none of your damn business," Noah said pointedly to Santana.

"Noah," Rachel chastised and once again addressed the group, "Anyway it's a private matter and none of your business. Mr. Schue is right, we need to be focusing on dominating Regionals," Rachel demanded. A bright smile flashed across her face, "On that note I have prepared a song…"

There was a chorus of groans from several people, but Rachel was not easily deterred, "Mercedes, Tina, and I put together a number that we'd like to share with you that will showcase multiple voices. If that's alright with you Mr. Schue?"

Mr. Schuester grinned, relived that the fighting was over. He would have hated to discipline his kids, it just gave Sue more ammunition, "Go ahead."

Mercedes and Tina moved to the choir room floor while Rachel nodded to the band and announced, "We shall be performing 'We Are' by Ana Johnsson."

As the music began Rachel stood forward in the center of the two girls and began the song while Tina and Mercedes harmonized in the background. Quinn rolled her eyes and thought **_great another Rachel Berry solo._**

_See the devil on the doorstep now_

_My oh my_

_Telling everybody, oh just how to live_

_their lives_

_Sliding own the information highway_

_Buying in just like a bunch of fools_

_Time is ticking and we can't go back_

_My oh my_

Mercedes' and Tina's voices became more predominant as they rose to join Rachel for the chorus.

_What about the world today_

_What about the place that we call home_

_We've never been so many_

_And we've never been…_

_So Alone_

_Keep watching from your picket fence_

_You keep talking but it makes no sense_

_You say we're not responsible_

_But we are, we are_

_You wash your hands_

_You come out clean_

_But fail to recognize the enemy's within_

_You say we're not responsible_

_But we are, we are_

_We are_

Mercedes and Rachel both moved back while Tina moved forward to sing her solo, to the surprise of nearly everyone in glee. Mike sat up straight in his seat and grinned at Tina in awe. He'd never seen Tina so confident and sound more beautiful.

_One step forward, making two steps _

_back_

_My, oh my_

_Riding piggy on the bad boys back_

_For life_

_Lining up for the grand illusion_

_No answers for no questions asked_

_Lining up for the execution_

_Without knowing why_

Rachel and Mercedes moved to join Tina as the chorus began again.

_Keep watching from your picket fence_

_You keep talking but it makes no sense_

_You say we're not responsible_

_But we are, we are_

_You wash your hands_

_You come out clean_

_But fail to recognize the enemy's within_

_You say we're not responsible_

_But we are, we are_

_We are_

_It's all about power, bout taking control_

_Breaking the will, and raping the soul_

_They suck us dry 'til there's nothing left_

_My oh my My oh my_

_What about the world today_

_What about the place that we call home_

_We've never been so many_

_And we've never been…_

_So Alone_

Mercedes moved forward to sing the chorus alone, belting out the notes perfectly to everyone's delight. Despite Santana's previous annoyance she along with Brittany and Quinn began singing along.

_Keep watching from your picket fence_

_You keep talking but it makes no sense_

_You say we're not responsible_

_But we are, we are_

_You wash your hands_

_You come out clean_

_But fail to recognize the enemy's within_

_You say we're not responsible_

_But we are, we are_

_We are_

_It's all about power, bout taking control_

_Breaking the will, and raping the soul_

_They suck us dry 'til there's nothing left_

_My oh my_

Rachel stood forward with a look of strength and confidence.

_It's all about power, bout taking control_

Tina joined her for the second repetition.

_It's all about power, bout taking control_

Mercedes moved forward to join the girls and hung onto the last note.

_It's all about power, bout taking control_

The girls were met with a standing ovation when they finished. The blending of their voices had been hauntingly beautiful, and Tina had surprised everyone with her solo. Tina rarely did solos and she'd blown everyone away with her voice. Everyone was also surprised to see that Rachel had willingly shared a song that she could have easily sung alone, even Finn was pleasantly surprised when he finally glanced over to look at Rachel for the first time since watching her walk into the choir room with Sam.

They spent the rest of the practice brain storming ideas on what they should do for sectionals. Mr. Schue was so impressed by the girls performance that he announced a new assignment for the week. Everyone was to get into groups of three or four with people they usually didn't sing with and perform for the group at the end of the week.

"We used a lot of different combinations at Sectionals and it was great. Let's see what else we can come up with," Mr. Schue announced before sending everyone off to pick their partners.

Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel had already performed for the week so they sat huddled together for the rest of the period making plans to spend time together over the weekend. Rachel was shocked to hear the bell, announcing the end of the school day. She had dreaded coming to glee today, but it hadn't turned out too bad. She was still upset that Finn hadn't said a word to her or even looked in her direction. Their relationship was over but she still wanted to be friends and be able to discuss glee. They had to be able to communicate, they were the glee co-captains after all.

Rachel offered Tina and Mercedes a quick farewell before moving towards the doors to wait for Sam who was in a serious conversation with Quinn on the other side of the room.

"That song was hot Berry! I kept imagining you in a tight leather outfit," Puck said striding toward her.

Rachel blushed, "Thank you Noah. I thought it was a great song to showcase Tina's talent. It's a shame she doesn't sing solos more often. Her voice is quite lovely."

Puck shrugged, not really interested in the conversation, "Are you waiting for Evans?"

"Yes, I noticed he was discussing something with Quinn and I didn't want to interrupt…" Rachel started but was interrupted by Finn rushing past them and out the door without a word to either of them. Rachel sighed, "Great, now he probably thinks we're dating."

"Does it matter? You said it was over," Puck asked.

"Our relationship is over yes, but I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have. We're co-captains and we have to be able to converse," Rachel responded.

Puck nodded, "Sorry princess, but I think it'll be a while before he's gonna be willing to talk to you."

"I know," Rachel said quietly, and watched as Sam walked over, "I'll talk to you later Noah. Sam and I don't want to be late picking up Stacey and Stevie."

"No prob, I'll see you tomorrow morning at your house," Puck nodded to Sam and strolled out the door, ignoring Rachel's calls.

"Tomorrow? Noah, you are not driving me to school again! Noah," Rachel sighed, giving up on Puck responding to her calls. "I'm ready whenever you are Sam," she said turning to him and smiling brightly even though she was nervous. She had made significant progress with Tina and Mercedes but they were a lot easier to talk to than two children.

* * *

AN: If you haven't heard 'We Are' by Ana Johnsson you've got to listen to it. It's an amazing song I can just imagine the ladies of Glee blowing it out of the water :)

PS: Thank you for the story alerts you guys are amazing. Please review and let me know what you think of the newest chapters I've added and what you think of the direction I've taken it. I'm also sorry if the performance is terrible I wasn't sure of the best way to write it… it's all so natural on the show. Ryan Murphy is amazing!


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